Hi DLB,

I just received the following (edited) note from Bill Krattinger who is an architectural historian and preservationist interested in the early architecture of Washington County, NY, which he informs me was settled in the pre-1800 period by significant numbers of Scots and Scots-Irish, some of whom came directly from Europe, others after a generation or so in New York's Hudson Valley and the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts.

"A number of us have been studying early English barns of this region, where the term "Scottish barn" crops up semi-regularly, we suspect due to the influence of Richard Babcock, whom it seems enjoyed placing ethnic qualifiers on barns that he was engaged to work upon. The barn was cited by Babcock as a "Scottish" barn in his "Barns of Wolftrap" pamphlet, where he suggests that this was built by Scots builders, is a 4-bent English barn employing all dropped tie beams -- the earliest barns that we have yet encountered in this region, some of which were built for early Scottish settlers, either using English tying joints or a similar tie-at-plate solution for the end bents, with dropped tie beams for the interior/aisle bents. While we remain alert to learn about features or methods of construction which might have Old World precedents, we have continued to view these as English barns built for Scottish settlers, and not Scottish barns."

I think that this clears up the attribution issue.

Anyone requiring sight of the Wolftrap pamphlet (6mb) please drop me a PM.

Regards

Ken Hume

Jim, had the pleasure of working on similar joinery on a barn in Ohio in 2000 or so. Monster oak tie beams, 12x18 posts or so, gunstocked in the direction of the plate.

Raised bents, then blocked up the tie beams. Plates slid onto tenons, then the entire assembly was to be dropped down (2", more? can't remember the details) or so. We burned alot of crane time setting the plates, and in the end, cut off several of the tenons as things just would not go...



Can't find anymore images. Pretty sure I have a stash of slides of all parts of this thing somewhere...

Thank you Ken, that clears this all up!

Thanks guys. I hear their may be some of this framing in Massachusetts too.

Ken;

Do you see reverse assembly in England?

Thanks again;
Jim

Hi Jim,

Reverse assembly is a very early technique that might typically be found in large buildings dating from the 11/12 & early 1300's).

Notable buildings with which you are probably already familiar include the barns at Cressing Temple and Great Coxwell.

This technique probably has its roots embedded in mainland European monastic and eclesiastic framing practice.

Regards

Ken Hume

Hello,
Jeez, I started typing and it came out in Chinese. I have also heard that some people, after getting a stroke, or a nasty bump on the head wake up speaking Croatian.

That's all beside my point though which is this reverse assembly. I've used it once because it allowed me to free up placement of tie beams in relation to certain, lets say constraints and wishes. Otherwise, what is the rationale behind doing the plate like this anyway, particularly in buildings with rectilinear floor plans? Is there more to it that just being more free in situating tie beams?

Hi Don,

The picture does not appear to show reverse assembly.

The order for reverse assembly would be post - tie - plate whereas what you show above is post - plate - tie.

Regards

Ken Hume

Hello,

Yes, that's correct, post, plate, tie. Although, nominally the configuration would be post with tie beam morticed and tenoned on top of that and then the plate. In other words, and the conception of this little lean to construction, post, tie beam & brace assembly, or bents, raised up and the plate connecting one bent to the other(s). Traditional?

I use assembly as a noun, but reading the glossary of the Timber Framers Guild it seems to be used as a verb.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff

Hi DOn;

I agree that your photo does not show the reversed assembly we are talking about.

Ken;
It makes sense that reverse assembly is found on large buildings so they can be raised in bents.

Several sources lead to Richard Babcock as the source of calling some barns in the US Scottish barns, reverse assembly or not.

Thanks;
Jim

Hello,
Ok, so the nomenclature is a bit more clear to me and now that I look at the barn here where I'm living, which is typical, I see that the reverse assembly is the standard way these barns are put together and normal assembly would be a deviation, at least in Holland. I always knew these folk were a bit skewed. Anyway that's clear now and I didn't mean to steer things off course by any means other than to say, it does suggest, as Ken Hume writes, that reverse assembly could have origins in Europe.

Greetings,

Don Wagstaff